Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Herpetologist's Phallus immortalized

According to a post in the Scientific American blog 60-Second Science, herpetologist Robert Drewes has achieved every man's dream: he has been immortalized for his small, distinctively shaped . . . mushroom. As reported in the new issue of the journal Mycologia, the mushroom, dubbed Phallus drewesii, is a novel species of stinkhorn discovered by members of Drewes' research expedition on their latest trek through Africa.

Phallus drewesii

The mushroom is the second-smallest of its genus.

The most interesting part of this whole story is that stinkhorn mushrooms are apparently well-known for their unusual shapes. Here are a few examples taken from various places around the intarwebs:

Phallus hadriani

Phallus impudicus

Phallus ravenelii

Phallus indusiatus

I could go on, but I think you get the point.

My only question is, what (or who) exactly do you need to do to be forever remembered for your Phallus?

Update:Since I wrote this post, I have found an excellent (and by that I mean decidedly phallic) specimen of Phallus hadriani hanging out in a yard near my apartment. Take a look: